#and yeah like. sheldon is a stereotype of autistic people but hes so funny

[strangebrew]

last night i almost started watching young sheldon but held back bc i wanted to watch "i'm not there" instead. my legs were over the cliff, about to fall into the underworld and the demons almost got me

[catgirl-catboy]

I also feel that the badly done stereotypical autism rep is often relatable. When I was younger I used to watch the big bang theory with my parents, and Sheldon was always so relatable - he even had a specific seat on the couch which he always used, just like me! It's only years later after reading negative things about the show online that I realized that it was meant to be making fun of him. I think that stereotypical representation is not the main problem here, but rather 1. mocking people who are like that through framing (which I'm often too autistic to notice, RIP) and 2. that being pretty much the only form of autistic representation in media.

Yeah, BBT and Young Sheldon were some of my moms favorite shows- and honestly, my feelings about Sheldon are COMPLICATED.

Also, you and I are in agreement. The couch bit is 100% of Big Bang Theory's best moments.

I feel like what the authors think Sheldon's problem is and what I think his problem is are two totally different beasts. His problem isn't that he has low empathy and that makes him an asshole. His problem is that nobody in his life has taught him workarounds for it. Maybe I'm projecting, but perhaps his asshole tendencies developed because he wasn't able to socialize the way society demands.

That being said, I don't think I could ever find "someone like me struggling with something I used to struggle with and is offered very little compassion or help" funny.

[hostilemuppet]

idk i like something about coopting the caricatures for positivity. fuck the people in charge, we see love wherever we see ourselves

oh yeah there is definitely merit in taking the power away from the oppressor but. death of the author can only get you so far. you know how its generally accepted that sheldon from the big bang theory is an ableist stereotype of autistic people, even though he does have aspects of him that would be relatable to autistic people (needing clear routines, typical "savant", literally obsessed with trains) since the intend behind him was to make fun of autistic people? its a similar thing. we can admit when something was actually funny or relatable to us as a group as long as we acknowledge that it was NOT in good faith

[veinsandknuckles]

Reflect what you are, pt 2

Abed Nadir/Autistic f!Reader. In love and at a loss, Abed turns to self professed woman-expert Jeff Winger for advice with mixed results. Part 1 Rated: pg Warnings: casual ableism, casual sexism, autistic stereotypes, reference to the The Big Bang Theory. If I’ve missed anything, let me know. This fic hasn’t been BETA’d. As a disclaimer, I’ll say upfront that the reader insert’s experiences with and outward signs of autism are based on my own. It’s always impossible to write a reader insert neutrally enough to be projected onto by everyone and I think that’s especially true when portraying a disability that is at once so specific and so varied.  ——–

“...I think I’m in love.”

“Really.” Jeff didn’t look up from his phone.

Abed wasn’t sure why he’d picked Jeff as the right person to talk to. Perhaps it was just because Jeff had lingered in the study room after their last session, leaving them alone in the room, and if Abed didn’t tell someone, anyone, he might literally explode. “Yes. Definitely. I show all the classic signs.”

Jeff didn’t respond. Had his sarcastic, disinterested tone been more pointed than usual? It was hard to tell.

“Did you already know I’m in love?”

“With what’s-her-name, your new study buddy?” Jeff gave Abed a look. “Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure everyone knows.”

“Oh.” Abed tapped his pen against the table and thought this over. “Do I talk about her a lot?”

“Not really, but we know you. It’s pretty suspicious if you take an interest in anyone who isn’t a fictional character.” Jeff put his phone down and leaned his elbows on the table. “Does this mean you’ve finally come to me for dating advice? It’s about time.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t need advice...”

Jeff’s eyes narrowed. “Because women throw themselves at you, for some reason.” He sounded resentful. “Yeah, I remember.”

“And usually I don’t really care either way.” Perhaps this wasn’t the best approach if he wanted Jeff’s help, but it was the truth. “I mean, the attention is nice, but it’s not important.”

“Well, if you’re ‘in love’” (here, Jeff made so many air quotes he threatened to sprain a finger) “that’s a whole different story.”

“Yeah. I’d be pretty upset if she didn’t like me back.”

“I’m sure. So what have you tried so far?”

“Hm.” What had he tried? Shockingly little, now that he came to think about it. “I’ve talked to her a little. We’re working on a project together for class. Oh, and yesterday I threatened to beat a guy up for disrespecting her.”

There was a long pause. “See, this is why you should come to me for inspiration instead of turning to the movies.”

“Yeah, but it was warranted. He’s a bully.”

“Yeah, but still. I never figured you’d go for the caveman approach.”

Abed shrugged. “I don’t really have an approach.”

“Yeah, we established that. So what’s this girl like?”

“I think she’s autistic.”

Jeff’s eyes widened and his mouth seemed to twitch. He didn’t make a face, but it seemed to take him some effort not to make a face. What was he trying to hide? Surprise? A lack of surprise? Amusement? Ridicule? Probably not envy, but what did Jeff know?

“Abed, that’s not a very nice way to sum up a person. We taught you better than that.”

Abed had it on pretty good authority that Jeff had pointed him out to strangers as ‘the robot’ and ‘just don’t call him Sheldon’ several times just this month, but for some reason, people tended to get uncomfortable if the spade joined in and also started calling itself a spade.

“Okay, this is clearly a sensitive issue for you. If I tell you she’s also beautiful and funny and attentive and kind and clever and beautiful, does that make you feel better?”

“That’s a pretty long list.” Jeff smiled. “Beautiful made it in twice, huh?”

It was a fair summary as far as Abed was concerned, repetition included, but Jeff needed to be brought down a peg or two.“I thought that would reassure you.”

Jeff stopped smiling. “Whatever. So if you care so much about her supposed personality, what do you guys actually have in common? Apart from, you know. The A word.”

“I’m not sure. We both pay attention in class, so we already have some similar interests.”

“Okay, so get her talking about those. Women love it when you pretend to care about their dumb opinions.”

Abed was very much convinced that this was not an uniquely female trait and he knew that if he chose to make a rebuttal, Jeff himself would make for an excellent exhibit A. But Jeff depended on his 90’s stand up comedian understanding of gender roles and it would be unfair to take that comfort away from him. Instead, he chose diplomacy. “If she has dumb opinions, I’ll lose interest. Even if she’s beautiful twice.”

“Yeah, you’re weird like that.”

“But I get shy around her, and I’m not used to being shy. I try to plan our conversations in advance, but then when I talk to her I forget everything I was going to say... And I don’t want to pretend to be someone else.”

“You’re overthinking this. Just go up to her and talk, ask more questions than you give answers and if she smiles and laughs at your jokes...” Jeff thought about it, then shook his head. “Huh. Yeah, I see the problem. You still can’t really read anyone. Even I can’t read you and I’m a master manipulator who’s known you for years. If she’s like you...” He seemed at a loss for words. “Don’t you have, like, a secret language or something? Bleep, bloop, Star Trek good?”

How should Abed know? It wasn’t like he’d been ushered into a secret society or subscribed to the local autism mailing list. Maybe there actually was a club and he just hadn’t been invited - that would be a fun, ironic twist. “Not one I know of.” The trekkie accusation he filed away for a later argument.

“Alright. So, when she’s happy or annoyed or on the rag, can you even tell?”

“I think so.”

Abed worried that Jeff misinterpreted the reason for his interest. He couldn’t tell if Jeff wanted to over or under emphasise the autism part, but he could tell Jeff didn’t get it. Sure, it was exciting to meet someone who functioned the way he did, but not because he expected or even wanted you to be a copy of himself. He wasn’t looking for the comedy staple where the weirdo, slash robot, slash dog’s love interest was played by the same actor, slash costume, slash dog in a wig or a pink bow. He was just as desperate to explore all your differences as your possible similarities, and the disability thing was just a small part of that. And he’d underplayed the “beautiful” part, but your mind really was not the only thing he wanted to explore. After all, you’d already turned his head months before he’d realised what you shared.

It dawned on Abed that he really would be just as excited to talk to you if the topics you chose made no sense to him - whatever you said would interest him, simply because you were the one talking. And if he ever accidentally tuned you out, he’d be happy just to watch your lips move.

How could he even begin to explain all of this? Or any of it? If Jeff had ever felt the same way, he would never admit to it.

“She emotes a lot.” By Abed’s standards, anyway. “I don’t think most people can really tell she’s autistic.”

“Why are you so fixated on this?”

“Well, in this case, I mean I think she’s more of a people person than I am. She blends in better than I do and that would take a lot of practice.” He paused. “I never really made friends before I got to Greendale, but...”

“You’re worried you might have some competition?”

Abed shook his head. If anything, competition would be reassuring. But why? “I don’t want her to like me because she has no other option. I want her to choose me.” If that was true, why did admitting it make his stomach feel so cold? Abed swallowed and voiced a fear he hadn’t even been conscious of before. “I’m worried I might be too weird for her.”

Now Jeff made a face even Abed could recognise, if only because he’d seen it so often over the years. It was a face of pained, awkward pity.

Abed was seriously starting to regret being so honest, especially with someone who clearly still expected him to be more ashamed of himself than he really was.  

But Jeff surprised him and his expression changed gradually into a less familiar smile. “Yeah... I think we all feel like that sometimes. I mean, not me, obviously.” Abed nodded and Jeff continued. “I hate to be a cliché, but if you absolutely have to be in love, I really think you should just try to be yourself. If she doesn’t like you, it’s better you rip the band-aid off quickly.” He reached out as if to give Abed a pat on the shoulder but seemed to think better of it and let his hand fall. “Who knows, she might like you better for being a bit weird - I know I get sick of hanging out with normal people all the time. Whatever that means.”

Abed nodded. Especially the band-aid argument appealed to him. Right now he felt that if he didn’t either get to touch you or let go of this obsession within the week, he’d just wither up and die. Wow. He might actually have to resort to a weekend of 80’s rom coms, either to look for inspiration for some big dramatic gesture of his own, or to do what most people probably did when they watched rom coms - daydream about his own crush and imagine you and him up there on the screen instead, kissing and holding on to each other for dear life while the music swelled and the rain pored.  This was so much worse than he’d thought.

[noddytheornithopod]

So, Star Wars Resistance... I saw the premiere and the subsequent two episodes that Disney put online. I’ll discuss my thoughts under the cut (expect lots of Autistic feelings on Neeku :V).

I don’t know if I’m just getting older and would’ve felt the same about Ahsoka and Ezra’s first appearances, but I’m kinda finding Kaz annoying for now. I’m sure he’s going to develop and get better at... everything, but for now I’m finding him kinda grating. Like, he’s got the immaturity those characters had, but he’s more obnoxious about it especially since he’s such a try hard and his awkwardness with everything got annoying for me quickly. But of course, the massive idiot always ends up being right or fixes the problem of the episode. Makes me wonder how he even is a good pilot and flying T-85 X-wings in the New Republic navy. :P The most interesting thing about him so far is how sheltered he seems with his parents doing everything for him until now.

Oh yeah, Kaz saying the New Republic is all he’s ever known and he wants to fight for it... can’t wait to see how he’s going six months later. :P

We got a little bit of information about the Republic and Resistance relationship actually stated in visual media, namely how they weren’t allowed to engage Vonreg and Kaz had to get rid of them, and how the New Republic isn’t a fan of the Resistance even if they’re kind of necessary to keep an eye on the First Order. I can’t help but wonder if Kaz’s dad is secretly a First Order sympathiser, given the novel Bloodline indicates a lot of the “centrist” (as in, they want to centralise power) senators were secretly FO sympathisers. We don’t know much about Kaz’s dad besides him being a wealthy senator, heck we didn’t even see him when he talked with Kaz.

Besides Kaz being too much of a doofus for my liking, my other big issue was... Neeku. I’ve discussed before that his Autistic coding is pretty blatant, and these episodes pretty much confirmed he’s quite stereotypical there. I want to like him, but I feel really uncomfortable watching him. I’m not sure if it’s just me being overly weary and internalised ableism talking, but the whole literal minded thing got old fast. Like, if the character had more nuance at this point I might find it funny and relatable (think PnF or MML in this regard), but Neeku is so stereotypical (right down to the fucking Sheldon style voice - wait what do you mean his voice actor was also on The Big Bang Theory) that it just leaves me feeling second hand embarrassment. I thought they were going to be more introspective when he gets upset and talks about how he finds it hard to get others... but nah. Speaking of which, I kinda feel really weirded out at how they basically used his literal mind and naivete to basically get Kaz into conflict with everyone by taking his boast literally? Like great job guys, I sure feel so much better about myself right there. :/ I also feel weird because they make him seem really childlike and really emphasise it, and people talk about how cute and adorable he is. It’s just uncomfortable. Also, Kaz taking advantage of his literal mind to deceive him and sneak off from work? I literally said “you dick!” out loud to Kaz there. So yeah, Neeku isn’t really working for now. I hope they develop him more because my gosh I don’t want to watch Star Wars Sheldon every episode.

Yeager is probably the best character so far. I like how he’s a wise old mentor type but he also already showing his more flawed side in how he’s trying to avoid any of the First Order conflict. I also want to know more about his time in the Rebellion, how he knows Poe and what happened to his family (don’t you DARE tell me his kid was kidnapped by the First Order). Also, him being more grounded I think really helps in the face of doofus pilot and space Sheldon.

Tam is good. They haven’t really done much with her yet, but I’m sure that will change eventually since she has expressed her own ambitions. Also I definitely feel bad for her since she’s genuinely hardworking and committed to her jobs only for that doofus Kaz to show up and fuck up everything. I kinda get vibes of the whole “loser male protagonist overshadows actually competent female supporting character” thing here, to be honest. Like obviously Kaz has to grow as the protagonist but wow, I feel bad for Tam (though I guess we’re supposed to).

BB-8 is cool I guess, always there to pull off nifty stuff to help. I guess Poe is using Kaz’s astromech for now while BB-8 has Kaz on the mission? Bucket is okay I guess, nothing too special yet, his intro felt very Chopper though.

Haven’t seen much of the aces yet besides Torra, she seems nice and I’m definitely curious to see how her relationship with Kaz develops as they become friends. Also wow Kaz, you definitely underestimated her, just because she’s the youngest and newest doesn’t mean she’s easy, she’s an ace for a reason you ding dong. :P

The other denizens of the colossus are fine, at least the location is well thought out and the world building is there. Nobody I’ve really gravitated towards yet.

Torra’s father seems creepy. I can’t help but wonder if he’s a First Order sympathiser, or will at least be a total pushover in the face of them. I think I heard something about taking control of the Colossus but I’m not sure if it was about him or I misheard, I doubt it would be so vague though.

Dammit, I wanted a sympathetic Neimoidian, but the dude has to be in league with pirates and by extension the First Order. Also why does he have to be so fat, why do the villains have to be fat (yeah you know why but meh)?

Elijah Wood’s character was something for sure. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him, I won’t be surprised if he ends up being a thorn in Kaz’s side in racing and mechanics or even works with the First Order.

The racing parts were pretty good, actually.

I want more of Vonreg. Of course we have to start small with those pirates being hired to do shit for the First Order, but he seems interesting. Also he’s got a cool voice, but it’s Lex Lang, of course I’m happy to see Dr Neo Cortex as the First Order’s top pilot.

Phasma is here, woo! Hope she is able to satisfy her fans here where she couldn’t in the movies. :P Also Commander Pyre is the gold stormtrooper, I wonder where he sits among the First Order if Phasma is always around for the important stuff?

Poe was cool, and Leia’s appearance was nice.

Why do the First Order want control of the Colossus? It seems pretty insignificant, but I guess we’re going to find out why it’s so strategically important with time. Definitely curious to the strategy at play.

OH YEAH also the racial diversity among the humans is pretty good too from what I can tell.

Overall, I’d say it was an okay start. It hasn’t got me fully into it like The Clone Wars movie or Rebel’s Spark of Rebellion did when they first came out, but IDK if it’s because I’m older or Resistance is aiming slightly younger. It has a lot of promise and I’m curious to see where it goes especially in regards to Yeager and the First Order’s plotting, but my gosh do Kaz and Neeku need development. I’m sure it will come since these Star Wars animated shows do show that patience pays off, but yeah. For now, not too into Kaz’s goofy antics. :P

[angelicxprowess-blog]

Heyyyyyy I kinda wanted to ask a personal question? I wanna write a character who has autism and I was wondering if you could help me? Like if you could just name some things that characterize autism to you personally that would be absolutely amazing tbh. If not that's totally cool I don't wanna pry sorry. Thanks!!

Dont worry!!! I like answering these

Okay well firstly, it does not have specific things to get a diagnoses. Me and both of my brothers are either diagnosed with ASD, or have it suspected, and while mine and the 9 year old’s is more similar, me and the 17 year old’s is completely different.

Most autistics I’ve seen prefer being called an autistic person than a person with autism but I think that's just down to preference. Autistic person is just more common.

There are many many different ways to stim. When I do it its usually cause Im happy, excited or stressed out (and sometimes I do it cause its fun). This can be either hand flapping, jumping, when Im sitting down kicking my legs in the air, hitting my leg, making noises (”ah, ah, ah”), stroking my hair and other stuff. Not a lot of people are understanding and a lot of comments are made, and sadly from what I’ve seen, a given so...

Echolalia! This is where you repeat words and phrases you hear. This can be from a song, the last thing you heard, or just anything you remember. Some autistics only communicate with echolalia, but I dont think that's very common.

Communication is hard. I struggle with working out if people are happy, sad ext just by looking at their face unless its at the extreme, and I cant pick up sarcasm when spoken very well unless I’m told its sarcasm (doesnt stop me from using it though). People can say what they think is an easy question, and I have to think about it step by step which can make it seriously confusing. For example; I know this sounds silly but I struggle with doing the washing and I ALWAYS miss steps, and I have broken down just because there was too much going on. Also sometimes, how I communicate can make things tricky for others. When I was much younger my voice was very flat and didn't have much emotion in it at all (I now make it over exaggerated) which got me into trouble a lot because people couldnt tell when I was joking, when I was being sarcastic or they thought I was always being rude. And my wording still makes things difficult sometimes for people to understand even though to me, what I’m saying is obvious. 

Sensory overload. I’m not sure if its an autism only thing but its common and is hell. This is where there is too much stimulation going on (texture, sound and all that), to the point where you just stop being able to process it all and everything goes to shit tbh. This can either cause stimming to be done while being exhausted, or a tantrum (its not funny: dont act like it is), or the complete stopping of as much sensory stuff as you can. I do a tantrum and stim at the same time which is kinda embarrassing for me.. During this I usually scratch at myself, punch myself, keep crying and screaming, (headbutt walls which hurts), bite at myself and other stuff. I have a pill to calm me down (not for autism: I have really bad anxiety that stops me from being able to leave the house a lot) which mum suggested I try using during it but it doesn't do much...

SI’s! Special Interests. Mine is Kuro which is kinda.. really obvious... This basically means that your interest in it is huge to the point where it could almost be like an obsession.. Most things I’m a fan of reminds me of Kuro is some way. Its pretty much all I draw and write about, and talk about. Also! It doesnt have to be a TV series or game thing; it can be anything. About science, songs, books, history ext ext! The stereotype is trains so.. If you’re gonna make it that please be careful cause it gets :/ They can last either a really long time, or a week. Depends on the person. Kuro has been my SI since I was 13 (5 years), but I’ve had some that only lasted a month.

Eye contact can be evil. Its either “Am I looking too much?” or “I cant look them in the eye am I being rude???”. We dont really understand the balance there...

It can make learning really really difficult if done in a way that doesnt fit you. If you just speak: I'm not gonna remember anything. And if you go too fast: Yeah still not gonna remember anything. This doesnt mean the person is not intelligent, it's just that our brain is wired differently and picks up information differently. If you leave me to learn on my own, I got named one of the top of my class. If it’s a teacher, I got told that I wasnt trying hard enough and was a waste of space (that teacher was an ass). 

Things need to be done in a certain way and if something disrupts this its Bad. I have a very specific routine in the morning and if somebody interrupts it I will not get up and will scream. If I’m reading something, I will talk to you when I want to talk to you and if you interrupt, I wont be able to continue the book from where I was and will have to start it over and will be PISSED. When cleaning everything is done in a very specific order and if you’re still in the room, I just wont do it. If we’re missing something I need, I wont do it. (I haven't cleaned my room in ages cause we dont have the hoover rn). This doesnt mean you are organised btw!! Just things gotta be done in a certain way.

One of the things I do is refer to myself in third person a lot. I’m not really sure why this is, but its like 

Friend: Are you tired..?

Me: Lizzie’s tired... She needs sleep

I know a few other autistic people who do this, so I’m pretty sure its because of that! I think some people do do it just to join it but xD But I don't think its very common so :/ Not many people use it in books or tv unless a character is playing so ;u;

Since some people think this and its... really wrong. Age regression isn't a symptom of autism. You can be autistic and regress, but it’s not a symptom. Also while its true for me and my 9 year old brother, you don't inherently act younger than your actual age, though that can be a symptom (When I was a lot younger (5-7) I had to go to a special class because of this although we didnt know what caused it then). Though since a lot of people see it has inherent, I would avoid that.

If the character acts like Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, change them as soon as you can. (Biggest walking offensive stereotype) Ngl my favourite character that is confirmed autistic is Christian Wolff from The Accountant, although there is some stereotypes (Math being the SI, complete stoicness, also there are signs that the therapy he went to is ABA which freaked me out and him doing this thing to CAUSE an overload (Flashing Lights, way too loud metal music and scraping a metal bar up and down his leg) its pretty good!!! (Also guns and explosions)

Autism speaks is shit. Do not support that crap. They do more harm than good and act like its a disease, which its not. You cant cure it, its just how your brain is wired and there is nothing you can do about it so *shrug*. ABA is bad too and traumatises its patients (that's where they train you to act allistic (non-autistic). You’re either born with it, or you don't have it (Doesnt mean you can only be diagnosed young. You can be diagnosed at any point in life, although its easier when you’re younger. Mine keeps being put off from being finished (even though I’ve been told I am) because to the world, I’m a feminine girl and we apparently cant be autistic which is bullshit, and because I was nearly 18 (we’re gonna finish it soon).

I think this should be enough... If you need anymore please feel free to ask xD